Gainesville Florida Quiz | States

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is Gainesville's nickname?

Answer: Hogtown

Hogtown, sometimes spelled as Hogtowne, pre-dates the founding of the city as a name for the area in which Gainesville is located. "Hogtown" is usually the first thing that new University of Florida students learn upon arrival in Gainesville. Jacksonville is the Bold New City, Valdosta, Ga is Winnersville, and New Orleans is The Big Easy.

2. One major sports event held in Gainesville each year that does not involve the University of Florida is the Gatornationals. In which sport do participants in the Gatornationals participate?

Answer: Drag Racing

The Gatornationals has been an annual event at Gainesville Raceway since the late 1960's.

3. The sports beverage 'Gatorade' was invented in Gainesville.

Answer: True

Dr. Robert Cade invented the well known sports drink at the University of Florida. The University still gets a share of every sale.

4. Gainesville's major daily newspaper is 'The Gainesville _________'.

Answer: Sun

'The Gainesville Sun' is an affiliate of NY Times Newspapers. 'The Herald' is Miami's daily. 'The Sentinel' is in Orlando. 'The Florida Times-Union' is in Jacksonville.

5. On the subject of newspapers, the University of Florida's major student newspaper is the ___________.

Answer: Independent Florida Alligator

'The Alligator' broke away from University control over policy issues during the Vietnam War era and has been fully independent since. 'The Navigator' is found at Jacksonville University, 'The Flambeau' at Florida State University, and 'The Spinnaker' is at the University of North Florida.

6. Gainesville is the home of the annual 'Gator Bowl' football game.

Answer: False

The 'Gator Bowl' is in Jacksonville. It was held in Gainesville at Florida Field in 1994 when the stadium in Jacksonville was being reconstructed. In that game, Tennessee defeated Virginia Tech 45-23. The signature Tennessee checkerboard pattern painted in one end zone was a strange sight in the SEC rival's home stadium.

7. The band 'Mudcrutch', a 1960s era Gainesville band, later became what major recording and touring act?

Answer: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Members of 'Mudcrutch' found their separate ways to Los Angeles to seek fame and fortune, ended up together again, and became household names in the recording industry. Bernie Leadon and Don Felder were residents of Gainesville before becoming members of The Eagles. Steven Stills lived in Gainesville before joining Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefers were a favorite of UF students and locals long before being discovered by the rest of the world, and were more or less adopted by Gainesville as its own. Nothing though, compared with the popularity of Petty and company during the 1980s and 90s in the area.

8. Which of the following Sunshine State mass murderers committed his crimes in Gainesville?

Answer: Danny Rolling

Rolling, described by some as the 'Gainesville Ripper', killed five UF students on the night of August 25, 1990. Rolling was a particularly gruesome and meticulous murderer. The killings put fear into the hearts of residents, especially female students, many of whom withdrew from the University. Ted Bundy killed two Florida State University students in Tallahassee and a young girl in nearby Lake City, Florida, but was never implicated in any Gainesville crimes. Toole and Lucas were mass murderers in Jacksonville who would frequently team together and take homicidal road trips to random places in the U.S., though apparently never in Gainesville.

9. The Gators play football on Florida Field, but the massive stadium that surrounds the field is named for the late Ben Hill Griffin, a pioneering Florida citrus magnate and one of UF's wealthiest benefactors. Which famous Floridian is the granddaughter of Griffin?

Answer: Katherine Harris

As Florida's Secretary of State during the disputed 2000 Presidential election, Katherine Harris was thrust into the national spotlight when the state's Electoral College votes decided the outcome of the election. She was later elected to Congress.

10. The opening of the O'Connell Center in the early eighties provided a state of the art venue for basketball, indoor track, swimming, and concerts. The building also gave rise to a new term unique to the UF community - O'Connelling. What did this term describe?

Answer: Jumping on the roof of the O'Connell Center

The O'Dome originally had a balloon type air supported roof and fairly easy access to any would-be roof bouncer. Campus authorities went to great lengths to keep daredevils off of the roof. The arena's bouncy roof has since been replaced.

Source: Author PTaylor

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Gainesville Florida Trivia Quiz

Here is a quiz on one of my former hometowns. Located in North Central Florida, Gainesville is known best for being the home to the University of Florida.

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